what makes you different (makes you terrified)
by Someone aka Me
Summary: Marius Black doesn't want to be different, but he can't help from noticing that he's not quite like everyone else. He wants to be a Hufflepuff.


_September, 1926_

Cassiopeia sends the letter addressed to Violetta, but Violetta reads parts of it out loud to Marius and Dorea.

" _Hogwarts is amazing. I've been sorted into Slytherin, of course. The other Slytherins are nice enough. Callidora is in Slytherin as well. She picked the bed furthest away from me and I can't tell if she just wanted to make new friends or she secretly hates me. I'll keep you updated."_

Dorea smiles. "Callidora definitely hates her, doesn't she, Mother? Callidora is always arrogant; she thinks she's better than everyone."

Violetta smiles back at her youngest daughter. "With Callidora, it's hard to say."

Marius is silent throughout this conversation. He looks thoughtful.

"Mother? Are the Blacks always in Slytherin?"

Violetta turns to her ten year old son. "Not always, Marius. Your grandmother was a Ravenclaw."

Marius hums.

…

Later that day, Dorea finds Marius sitting against the wall in the ballroom, listening to the charmed violin play. He's absentmindedly biting a length of ribbon, a habit Violetta has been trying to get him to drop without much success. The ribbon is a clear indication that Marius is stressed and thoughtful.

He always comes to the ballroom when he's stressed. Dorea has wondered before if it's because the violins are the only kind of magic he's ever made work — because the spell already exists, and all he has to do is touch the violin and the smell activates.

"Marius?"

His head jerks up and he looks at her.

"Yes?"

"Are you alright?"

Marius looks down at his hands. Dorea crosses the room and slides down the wall beside him. Her skirts billow out around her, covering her knees as she pulls them up near her torso. She hands him the mug of tea that she requested from the house elves.

"I don't think I'm a Slytherin," Marius says, his voice soft and small. "Mother seemed so proud of Cassiopeia, but I… I want to be a Hufflepuff, Dorea."

Dorea looks at him in shock for a moment. "A Hufflepuff?"

Marius pulls in a breath. "I think loyalty is really important. I want to be friends with people like that. Who are loyal, and kind to everyone. I don't think I'm ambitious enough to be a Slytherin."

Dorea puts a small hand on his knee. "Marius, it doesn't matter where you wind up. You'll always have me."

Marius smiles at his little sister.

"Thanks, Dorea."

He looks back at his hands.

"Dorea?"

"Yes?"

"What if… What if I don't get to go to Hogwarts at all?"

Dorea stills.

This is something they don't talk about. They don't acknowledge it. They keep it sheltered away in the shadows.

But the truth is, Marius is ten years old and he's never had a single incidence of accidental magic. Dorea is _six_ and she already has. Their mother tells Dorea she'll be a great enchantress. She never says anything about Marius being a great enchanter.

Marius has never heard of anyone else who hasn't had their magic when they were his age. It's really rare, he thinks. But not the kind of rare that makes him special. Just the kind of rare that makes him wish he were just like everyone else.

"Marius. It doesn't matter. You'll always have me."

Marius sniffs. Dorea looks up to see a few tears sliding down his face. He runs a hand through his dark hair. He looks weirdly tragic for a ten year old. It makes Dorea want to hug him and never let go.

Marius's eyes are fixated on his hands, which are shaking faintly. He doesn't like to think about this.

He doesn't like to think about this because it makes his hands shake and his voice tremble and he feels like he might shake apart.

He's ten. He's almost eleven. And the only thing he's ever been able to do is activate already existing spells. He's never cast anything of his own.

He might not get his Hogwarts letter next fall. He might not ever be able to join Pollux and Cassiopeia at Hogwarts. He may never truly join the Wizarding World… which is the only world he's ever known.

He can't help but wonder sometimes though, what his parents will do. Members of his family have been disowned for less.

He pulls in a shaky breath.

"I want to be a Hufflepuff," he says. He means it to be a change in conversation, but it doesn't come out that way. It comes out small and shaky and _desperate_.

Dorea doesn't know what to say.

* * *

For Amber, for GGE June 2017

Assignment 4: Care of Magical Creatures: **Task 3:** Write about something rare

(Love in Motion: Family: Marius and Dorea) (Char App: 14. (Trait) Accepting of those that are different than (her)) (Amber's Attic: Marius Black (bonus 5 points)) (Lyric Alley: 5. I'm a little bit sheltered) (A Series of Unfortunate Events - Lemony Snicket; 2. (word) Tragic; 3. (action) Biting 5. (object) Ribbon) (Snek: 33. Hoop snake - (object) mug) (Insane House: Dorea Potter) (365. 322. Trait - Family-Orientated) (Cards 3: Black Jack - write about someone from the Black Family) (Fairytale: Beauty and the Beast; 2. Trait: Arrogant; 3. Word: Enchantress; 4. Setting: Ballroom - (bonus 5 points)) (Lent: Only characters we don't see in the films.)


End file.
